Goodwin : Mental game will be key in Baird playoff series

Ira head coach Toby Goodwin liked what he saw in his team during last week’s baseball game against Nazareth.
“It has been so long since we played a competitive game. Nazareth is a good team and I liked what I saw,” Goodwin said. “I saw some excitement in the players. That is something we have been lacking.”
He hopes the excitement, as well as the focus, return for this week’s Region 1-1A quarterfinal series with Baird. The teams will begin the best-of-three series at 2 p.m. Thursday at Cutcher Scott Field on the campus of Abilene Christian University. Game 2, and if necessary Game 3, will be played in Sweetwater beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday.
During last week’s tune-up game with Nazareth, Ira (13-4-1) finished with eight hits, including three doubles by Anthony Coy and a single and triple by Karson Valentine.
Goodwin knows the top half of his line-up, featuring Nathan Goodwin, Coy, Valentine, Matthew Brazil and Drew Porter, have been consistent this season. But the bottom half is beginning to produce key hits and runs.
“The bottom half has been producing well for us lately. I like seeing that from that group,” Goodwin said of Garrett Hafer, Holden Rios, Brayden White, Ike Weaver and Lexton Hernandez.
The one area that does concern Goodwin heading into the series is focus.
“We can’t have any mental errors. I know mistakes are going to happen, but we need to control the mental errors,” he said.
Against Nazareth, the Bulldogs committed four errors which led to two unearned runs in the 10-6 win.
Pitching has been carrying Ira this season and the staff has dominated most teams. Coy limited Baird to one hit in a 1-0 win in March at the Ira Baseball Tournament. Valentine, who will compete in the Class 1A state track meet on Friday, and Nathan Goodwin have also provided quality starts this season.
“That has been our strong point and that is key in a three-game series,” Goodwin said. “We have been working a couple of other guys for situations like this.”
Brazil, who starts at catcher, has seen some action on the mound, including last week’s game against Nazareth.
Goodwin said his team has to do two things to advance to the regional semifinals.
“We have to make the routine plays and put the ball in play,” he said. “If we do that, I am very confident we can win this series.”
The winner of the series will face either Borden County or Hamlin in the regional semifinals.